Exiled Catalan separatist leader demands amnesty or fresh elections in Spain

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) - Exiled Catalan separatist leader Carles Puidgemont demanded amnesty as a prerequisite to start negotiating with Spain’s acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to form a government.

“Spain has a dilemma: either it will have to repeat elections … or make a pact with a party… that has not and will not renounce unilateral action as a legitimate recourse to assert its rights,” Puidgemont said in a speech from Brussels.

The former Catalan president has been wanted in Spain since 2017 for his role in the illegal independence referendum and subsequent unilateral declaration of independence.

But the fugitive from Spanish justice has emerged as a kingmaker after July’s election resulted in a hung parliament.

The conservative Popular Party is also trying to form a government, although their chances seem slim at the moment, as they are less open to negotiating with regionalist forces. The most obvious choice to avoid repeat elections is if Puidgemont’s party agrees to support Sanchez and the left-wing bloc.

Puidgemont said he would not demand a legally binding referendum for the time being, leaving that to the next phase.

Instead, he announced that before he talks to Spain’s Socialist Party, he would need guarantees that anyone involved in the Catalan independence push, like himself, will get full amnesty.

In 2021, Sanchez pardoned nine Catalan independence leaders who had faced trial and been convicted in Spain. However, the handful that fled Spain and never returned still face charges.

Puigdemont also insisted on a mechanism to guarantee that any promises made by Spain’s Socialist Party would be kept.

Another condition is for Madrid to recognize the independence movement as “legitimate.” “Spain spies, infiltrates and makes up situations to arrest people without any basis,” Puidgemont said, saying his party is treated like terrorists.

Puidgemont’s demands come a day after his meeting with left-wing Spanish minister, Yolanda Diaz. In a joint statement they emphasized the need for dialogue to overcome political conflict.

Sanchez has yet to respond to Puidgemont’s demands, but on Monday he said it was time to “turn the page” on the political conflict with Catalonia.

For his part, Popular Party leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo slammed Diaz for meeting with a “fugitive” and emphasized that he refuses to accept any “blackmail” in exchange for forming a government.